X06: Definitive Conference Analysis

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Halo news, Peter Jackson, HD-DVD and what it means to you.

By Jonathan Miller

A tattoo. That was the only thing missing from the long list of major Microsoft announcements from corporate VP Peter Moore. We had GTA4, Halo, HD-DVD, Marvel and more Halo. Here's our look at the big news and what it means to you.

Hello Halo

Halo Wars is coming. At the tail end of X06, Microsoft's games conference in Barcelona, today, Microsoft regional vice president Chris Lewis showed off the first trailer of Ensemble's upcoming title, an RTS with all the excellence of Age of Empires 3 set in the Halo universe. We all knew it was coming. Hell, IGN 360 Editor-in-Chief Doug Perry predicted it just yesterday. The lights grew dim and armies of the Covenant and Spartans began an epic, big-screen battle.

Yes, Microsoft knows how to end its press conferences, a stark contrast to the opening of the conference, during which Lewis quoted sales numbers and spurted sugar-coated hyperbole. But, much how the E3 conference finished off with the debut Halo 3 trailer, Halo Wars sent a similar rush of chills down the spines of hundreds in the gaming press. What's more, Peter Jackson appeared on stage at the Theater National Catalunya on this warm September evening to announce that he, Wingnut Studios and Microsoft Game Studios will work on a new Halo "game," a blending of film and videogame into an interactive, emotional "experience." Until we see otherwise, we will go ahead and just call it a game, but we are nonetheless excited to see what Jackson has in store for the Halo universe and beyond.

This announcement is clearly a huge step for Microsoft as it spreading its most successful franchise across multiple genres. In addition to Halo 3, the first-person shooter; we will have a Halo RTS; a Halo "interactive movie thingy;" and the Peter Jackson directed film. Clearly this vaults Halo from videogame to something more, and the future is bright for our favorite Spartan. Prepare for Halo The TV Series, Halo The Magazine and Halo The Lunch Box.

Exclusive Or Not?

On the footsteps of Sony's major announcements at Tokyo Game Show last week, Microsoft countered with a right cross of its own, including news that anticipated third-party titles BioShock, Splinter Cell Double Agent, a new Banjo-Kazooie title, Eidos's Kane and Lynch and a new FPS, Crossfire, would be exclusive to the Xbox 360.

What's more, Grand Theft Auto 4 will feature two "epic episodes," downloadable content through Xbox Live that is also exclusive to the 360. It's not yet known if the PS3 version will have its own exclusive content when it released alongside the 360 title on October 16, 2007, although that can't be counted out given Rockstar's longstanding relationship with Sony. Microsoft Vice President Peter Moore did take the stage to say that the downloads are more than skins and costumes for one of the most massive games in history. The episodes will be feature hours of new gameplay, missions and will be released sometime after the initial GTA4 release. No price has been announced for the exclusive content. We are all for additional content, providing that it's actually "additional" and not something that should have been included in the retail disc, like, say, alternate jerseys and classic teams and stadiums in Madden 07. Personally, we draw the line at Grand Turismo HD, a build-your-own, buy-your-own game. Downloadable content, in the wrong hands, could be nothing more than a way to take your hard earned cash, where you are forced to buy additional items needed to beat a game, or items that should have been in the first place. This is a slippery slope we don't want to see 360 titles traveling. Nonetheless, extra, episodic content, in a Half Life 2 sort of way, could be just what GTA fans were looking for. We just don't want to hit an invisible wall on a bridge in Vice City and be forced to pay a 1,000 Microsoft Point toll.

Back to exclusives, Microsoft has been a bit loose with the term lately. At Leipzig this year, the company announced an "exclusive" on next-gen soccer with FIFA 07 and Pro Evolution 6. Turns out the "exclusive" was only in Europe and only for a few months, the equivalent of calling Madden 07 a next-gen exclusive until it hits the PS3 this November.

But after talking with Microsoft reps, we did learn that Kane and Lynch and Crossfire are legitimate exclusives. Splinter Cell will appear on the PS2, PC and original Xbox. Banjo-and-Kazooie is now a first-party title anyway, a natural exclusive. And BioShock will be exclusive to 360 and Games for Windows and, according to Microsoft at a quaint dinner in the hills of Barcelona, will not appear on the PS3. PS3 owners, if it's any consolation, can watch Spiderman 2 on Blu-Ray.

Live Arcade Madness

Following the release of a few duds on Xbox Live Arcade (Time Pilot and Scramble), Moore surprised of all with the announcement of Doom on XBLA. What's more, it became available on Marketplace today and will feature two-player split-`screen. In fact, you are probably downloading it now while you read this.

Other titles -- some announced, some not -- include Contra, Small Arms, Gyruss, Mutant Storm Empires, TotemBall, Defender, Assualt Heroes, Sensible Soccer and Heavy Weapon. We're still waiting to hear on a number of anticipated yet unannounced titles like NBA Jam and Killer Instinct and even the original Spy Hunter.

Obviously the success of Arcade is unprecedented. Still, the Arcade library consists of a litany of out-of-date retro games and a number of forgettable titles. But with heavy hitters on the way like Symphony of the Night and, now, Doom on the list, Microsoft is becoming increasingly ambitious with Arcade. It will be hard to imagine any game that you loved in the past, not under the domain of Sony or Nintendo, not in the queue in Redmond.

Gears of War Marches on

CliffyB jumped on stage in Barcelona to continue his single-player Gears demo where the E3 demo left off. That isn't exactly accurate though, as we remember a giant worm exploding from the ground like an 18-year-old libido on prom night. Instead, we found Marcus, hiding behind the shallow walls of a drained fountain, shooting Locust drones in the face as they emerged from their own dirty holes in the earth.

At first glance, the enemy appeared a bit stupid, accepting bullets in the shoulder like they were gracious pats on the back. When the Locust should have been diving for cover and salvation, it stood there, receiving round after round before falling dead. When not being shot, however, the Locust did find cover and even attempted a flanking maneuver. CliffyB, in a moment of daring and bravado, leaped over the fountain wall and attacked a Locust with his chainsaw at the ready. Only the chainsaw never activated, and the Locust and Marcus sort of ambled next to each other in a kind of war dance, some kind of collision issue at work. CliffyB, never dismayed, simply rolled away, charged again, and took down the Locust with a now-functioning saw. Bloody death ensued.

The framerate was clearly improved and working at a smooth clip. A pounding cinematic score bumped in the background. But one of our most anticipated games of the year still has a ways to go before a game-of-the-year nomination, despite being at the top of our must-have list of 2006, excluding Viva Pinata, of course.

HD-DVD Is Here

The final significant announcement at X06 told the price and release date of the peripheral HD-DVD.

$199. Mid-November.

Pencil in the date, HDTV owners. While we still have no idea how the thing will hook up to a TV (outside of a strange HDMI dongle of some sort), the soon-to-be-most-affordable HD-DVD player on the market appears to be a slick little bargain. Microsoft already said that 1080p resolution will mysteriously be possible through a Fall update, presumably through Xbox Live and not off a disc.

But if you call now, and mention the name "Miller Time" to your operator, the HD-DVD drive will also include Peter Jackson's King Kong HD-DVD, and... wait for it... your very own universal media remote. How much would you pay for this special package? $400? $300? If you call now, you will get both King Kong and the universal remote absolutely free with the HD-DVD drive.

Microsoft did well by keeping the total price of a premium 360 and the HD-DVD on par with a premium PlayStation 3 console. What's more, the happy-go-lucky kid from Eerie PA with a massive DVD collection doesn't have to buy HD-DVD if he doesn't want to. Frankly, a lot of us out there are pleased with DVDs and the $35 high-def discs don't have much to offer besides a few extra pixels.

But hey, super techie early adopter will be stoked that MS just introduced the HD-DVD bargain of the century with the $200 box. Even mainstream manufacturers will have to take note that a 360 and HD-DVD drive will cost less than the current standalone sets.

Sure, the drive is a bullet-point-by-bullet-point attempt to keep pace with the feature set of the PS3. But the option is nice, although we would hope to see future uber-premium 360 consoles with an internal HD-DVD drive, complete with HDMI and a popcorn maker, if possible. Buttery mess or not, though, 2007 looks to be a promising year for the 360.